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News & Opinion
Apple Speed Bumps MacBook, Adds Faster Graphics and
10 Hour Battery Life
Without so much as a press release, on Tuesday Apple gave the
unibody white MacBook its
first refresh since being introduced last October, and it's a
substantial one.
It wasn't a big surprise after a Vietnamese tech website spilled the
beans last weekend, complete with an unboxing video, but what's with
the stealth upgrades, Apple?
Anyway, under
the hood, the MacBooks gets essentially the same configuration as was
introduced with the base model 13" MacBook Pro last
month - a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor teamed with an Nvidia GeForce
320M integrated graphics processor - a substantial upgrade from the
2.26 GHz Core 2 Duo and GeForce 9400M GPU of the previous model -
especially the graphics processor, which Apple claims provides a
performance boost of up to 80% over the previous generation.
The
other big news is the battery upgrade. The original unibody white
MacBook's built-in battery performance was more than respectable, but
up 10 hours on a full charge is spectacular, providing the staying
power you need for long flights, all-day workshops, marathon study
sessions, and even power outages. The new energy-efficient Nvidia
GeForce 320M integrated graphics processor improves battery life by
using less power for everyday tasks like writing email and surfing the
Web, and Apple says thanks to its advanced battery chemistry and
adaptive charging technology, the MacBook battery can be recharged up
to 1000 times - five years of typical use, nearly three times the
lifespan of typical notebook batteries.
More good news - the Mid 2010 MacBooks support both video and audio
out via that Mini DisplayPort, a boon for users who connect laptops to
a TV via HDMI. This brings the MacBook up to spec with current
generation of MacBook Pros and iMacs.
There's also a new MacBook Air-style MagSafe connector that
points the adapter cord backward to hug the case rather than sticking
out at a 90° angle from the computer body, and the SuperDrive
optical drive is now double-layer.
Aside from these changes, the new MacBook appears is be pretty much
identical in spec to the October 2009 version - the 250 GB 5400 RPM
hard drive and 2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (upgradable to 4 GB)
are carried over from the previous model. And, alas, no FireWire port
and no SD Card slot.
The price of entry to the MacBook club remains $999.
New MacBook Supports Both Audio and Video Data I/O
Through VESA-Compliant Adapters
A new Apple Knowledge Base article says the newly refreshed MacBook
can now connect to an external display, projection device, or TV that
uses a DVI, HDMI (audio and video)1 or VGA connector with a separate
adapter, but to make sure to use a VESA-compliant adapter for full HDMI
capabilities. You can purchase adapters for supported video formats
from Apple.
Link: New
MacBook Supports Both Audio and Video Data I/O Through VESA-Compliant
Adapters
iFixit: Mid 2010 MacBook Teardown
PR: New higher capacity battery can be retrofitted to
October 2009 MacBooks (but unlikely users will see 10 hour runtime
without the Revision B model's super-efficient Nvidia GeForce 320M
graphics chipset)
Apple updated the MacBook with much milder official changes this
year - most notably a better graphics processor and more battery life -
but we wanted to see for ourselves exactly how the laptop evolved.
We ventured inside the MacBook to find out how Apple achieved the
claimed 10 hour battery life, as well to see if there were any magical
unicorns that they chose to keep hidden from public view.
Highlights:
- The battery is identical in size and shape to the old one, but is
rated for 63.5 Wh (compared to 60 Wh) and weighs 355 g (compared to
347.5 g).
- The battery also works in the previous MacBook! You can get an
extra 350 mAh of electric charge if you're willing to add 7.5 grams to
your older machine.
- Of course, Apple continues to use tri-wing screws for the battery,
as well as the "Do not remove the battery" warning sticker. We ask: why
is it such a big deal to have users replace it themselves?
- The layout is so similar to the earlier version of the MacBook that
users can use them to repair the new machine: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Device/MacBook_Unibody_Model_A1342
- We confirmed the updated Nvidia GeForce 320M integrated graphics,
much to the thrill of lite gamers everywhere.
- Other notable chip winners include Realtek RTL8251CA ethernet,
Cirrus Logic 4206ACNZ audio, Cypress CY8C24 16 KB Flash PSoC, and dual
TDK 6T213HF packages.
No MacBooks were hurt, in any way, shape, or form, during the
teardown process.
Link:
MacBook Unibody Model A1342 Mid 2010 Teardown
Are MacBook, 13" MacBook Pro Too Close for Comfort
Again?
Macworld's Jonathan Seff says that the release of new 13" MacBook
Pro (MBP) models, now followed-up by a refreshed MacBook, has closed
the gap and narrowed the value equation. Of the nine distinctions he
had identified between the previous 13" MBP and MacBook models, almost
half of them are no longer issues, noting that the only MacBook Pro
technological feature that you can't replicate (at least with a
peripheral) on the MacBook is its FireWire port, although the Pro's
backlit keyboard, SD Card slot, and aluminum unibody enclosure still
tip the desirability scale in the base MacBook Pro's favor. But enough
to justify the 20% higher price?
Link: Are
MacBook, MacBook Pro Too Close for Comfort Again?
Potential Fixes for Short Battery Life on New
MacBooks
Apple Toolbox's ATB says that some users have reported much shorter
than advertised battery life from brand new MacBook Pros, including the
mid-2010 MacBook Pros and the just-released MacBook, noting that
although real-world battery life often falls far short of manufacturer
claims, some users are seeing battery life half or less of that
indicated by some tests under similar usage conditions, experiencing
battery life of 3 to 4 hours under normal usage conditions.
Suggested fixes include battery calibration, using gfxCardStatus to disable the GeForce
330M graphics processor, and reinstalling OS X.
Link: Short Battery Life
on New MacBooks: Potential Fixes
Keyboard Problems Afflict Some 2010 MacBook
Pros
Hardmac's Lionel reports that a reader with a MacBook i7", 8 GB,
500 GB hard drive says that his "small but pretty jewel" will freeze,
making it impossible to use the keyboard, eventually blocking keyboard
input completely, requiring a complete restart of the machine. After
some research, he's determined that the problem seems to affect a great
number of core i5 and i7 machines.
Charles Moore reports the
same problem with his Late 2008 Unibody MacBook and
OS X 10.6.3, so it seems likely that this is a software/OS problem, not
a hardware one. Moore's solution was to switch back to OS X
10.5.8, an option not available to those with recent 'Books that
requires OS X 10.6 or later.
Link: Problems on
Certain 2010 MacBook Pros
iPad No Substitute for MacBook Air
Cnet's Brooke Crothers notes that after rumors of a MacBook Air update last week
proved groundless, the question still remains as to whether the Air is
on the endangered species list. Will it be allowed to just wither away
from non-update inattention?
Crothers contends that, contrary to what some iPad enthusiasts and even Apple Store sales
representatives have been known to suggest, the iPad really doesn't
come close to being an adequate substitute for the MacBook Air, which,
despite its several compromises, is a real Mac OS X laptop computer. As
the owner of both an Air and an iPad, Crothers can say this with some
degree of authority.
He cites the Air's full-sized physical keyboard, larger display, USB
port (better than none, which is what you get with the iPad), built-in
printing capability, the aforementioned full-fledged Mac OS X,
powerful Core 2 Duo processor, likewise powerful Nvidia 9400M graphics,
and support for multitasking, not to mention the iPad's Flash support
deficiency.
Crothers acknowledges that the Air is being somewhat squeezed
between the higher-end iPad models and the 13" MacBook Pro, making it
arguably a bit redundant, but he notes that the 13" MBP is still a
pretty conventional laptop with its relatively soggy weight (4.5 pounds
- not the 5.6 pounds cited by Crothers, which is the figure for the 15"
MacBook Pro) compared with the Air's 3 pounds and iPad's 1.5
pounds.
Crothers says he would understand if Apple doesn't update the Air,
but still hopes it will. Me too.
Link: iPad Is No Proxy
for MacBook Air
Only 1% of Potential Netbook Buyers Will Choose a
Tablet Instead
Computerworld's Gregg Keizer reports that Apple's iPad won't put a
crimp on sales of netbooks this year, according to ABI Research analyst
Jeff Orr, who projects that with an estimated ship volume of 58
million, netbooks have made the consumer mass market grade, but that
the iPad is too expensive to be mass market.
ABI and Orr estimate that about 8 million tablet computers,
including iPads, will ship during 2010. Dent netbook sales? Orr thinks
not, suggesting that a mere 1% of potential netbook buyers will end up
buying tablets. Orr perceives the iPad as neither complement to nor
replacement for a netbook, but more comparable to a smartphone.
Link: Just 1% of
Potential Netbook Buyers Will Choose a Tablet Instead - Analyst
MacBook Pro eSATA Options
Mac Performance Guide for Digital Photographers & Performance
Addicts' Lloyd Chambers says that MacBook users looking to add storage
have limited options, but those lucky enough to have a MacBook Pro with
an ExpressCard/34 slot have a high performance option: eSATA (external
SATA). Other users will have to be content with FireWire 800 or go the
ultra high performance dual internal drive route, as with an MPG Pro
Laptop.
Chambers' report analyzes with eSATA performance via three add-on
cards that fit the ExpressCard/34 slot on the 17" MacBook Pro and
certain other earlier-generation 15" and 17" MacBook Pro models. Only
one of these cards allows booting from an external SATA drive. Sadly,
Apple eliminated the ExpressCard/34 slot on the current 15" model, and
the 13" MacBook Pro never had it. Users of those models will have to be
content with FireWire 800, which is also covered in this report.
Link: MacBook
Pro eSATA - An Introduction
Reviews
15" MacBook Pro 'World's Best Designed Notebook
Computer'
PC Advisor's Andrew Harrison says:
"Intel Core i7 processor, meet the Apple MacBook Pro: what happens
when the world's fastest mobile processor meets the world's best
designed notebook computer?
"Apple was a little late in slipping Intel's new mobile processors
into its notebook line. The first Intel Core i7 for mobile use appeared
late last year, but only now do we see one offered in a MacBook Pro,
the Apple MacBook
Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) 2.66 GHz Core i7.
"The reason for the delay is not too hard to find: Apple's wise
reticence in fitting an ill-suited processor just to follow tech
fashion.
"In the desktop range, the Intel Core i7 pretty much rules the roost
in high-end personal computing.
"Not only is the MacBook Pro 15in the best constructed notebook
computer you can find, it's now also one of the very fastest. In fact,
it's the most powerful laptop we've ever tested. If you need the best
designed notebook money can buy, or just a safe and dependable
operating system running on the fastest portable hardware, the MacBook
Pro 15in Core i7 sets the new benchmark."
Link: MacBook
Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) 2.66 GHz Core i7 Review
15" MacBook Pro a 'Class Act'
The Register's Alistair Dabbs reports:
"Now equipped with a Core i5 CPU, this mid-range Mac makes a lasting
impression . . . It's only now, having had the chance to play with
Apple's latest MacBook Pro, that I realise that everything that came
before it was so dreadfully ordinary . . . It's also much
slimmer than I had imagined: indeed, it is just 5mm thicker than the
innovative MacBook Air....
"Talking of power, note that the MacBook Pro 15in never gets as hot
as other notebooks....
"The trackpad feels responsive and rock-solid, as indeed it should:
it's made of glass . . . responds to a range of multifingered
gestures.
"My one serious complaint is that the unit is so thin that Apple is
unable to provide as many connectivity ports as I'd like
. . . the lonely Apple Mini-Display port is a bit of a
disappointment too . . . [you will] have to purchase one or
more of Apple's £21 video adapters.
"[The] new MacBook Pro 15in is a gorgeous notebook to use . . .
You're telling yourself 'I paid way too much for this' but you love
every second of it."
Link:
Apple MacBook Pro 15in
15" MacBook Pro: Is the Higher Resolution Screen
Worth It?
Gizmodo's John Herrman reports on a new option offered with the
latest revision of the 15" MacBook Pro: a higher-resolution 1680 x 1050
screen displaying about 30% more pixels than the standard 1440 x 900
screen. Is it worth the extra up front $100 cash outlay?
Gizmodo compared a high-res 15" MBP against a standard resolution
model and says the difference is striking, but for reasons you might
not anticipate, finding the high-res surprisingly dimmer than the
standard screen at its lowest and highest brightness settings, but
noting that the slightly subdued brightness pays off in deeper blacks
and more vivid colors.
Herrman says vertical and horizontal viewing angles are deemed to be
about the same, but that the newer screen looks sharper and richer. One
caveat: If you sit further from your screen, you could find yourself
squinting.
Link: MacBook Pro 15: Is
the Higher Resolution Screen Worth It?
Tech Trends
Toshiba Mulls Hybrid Flash and Spinning Drive -
SSD + HDD = SSHD
The Register's Chris Mellor reports that Toshiba is considering
building a hybrid solid state hard drive containing both flash memory
and a spinning disk, citing a Tech-On report that quotes a Toshiba
spokesman saying: "The hybrid of HDD and SSD enables to save energy. It
enables to save energy by about 80 per cent compared with a storage
device consisting of only HDDs."
Link: Toshiba Mulls
Hybrid Flash and Spinning Drive: SSD + HDD = SSHD
Will Hybrid SSD/Hard Drive Products Succeed?
The Register's Chris Mellor reports:
"Zsolt Kerekes of StorageSearch, who follows the SSD market closely,
thinks it would fail if brought to market. He said: 'I've always
thought that 2.5-inch hybrids (SSD + HDD) were a waste of space - ever
since the idea surfaced. It doesn't matter who makes them.'"
Link: Will
Hybrid SSD/HDD Products Succeed?
Products & Services
ViewGuard Antiglare Screen Protectors for All
MacBooks
PR: Intelligen LLC announced the availability of its expanded
line of ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen Protectors, providing a
selection of more than one hundred standard and custom sizes. Created
for use in locations where sunlight and fluorescent lighting may cause
potential glare, the expanded line of ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen
Protectors are now available at BuyViewGuard.com with a MSRP starting
at $24.99.
The ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen Protectors for notebooks,
laptops and flat-screen monitors are designed with an antiglare matte
coating, reducing glare and reflections caused by natural and
artificial lighting. Users can comfortably use their computer in bright
settings, including office buildings, cafes and parks, as well as near
windows. Attaching directly to the surface of LCD screens, the matte
screen protectors feature glare reduction and reduce potential
eyestrain.
ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen Protectors for notebooks, laptops
and flat-screen monitors reduce glare and harmful ultraviolet rays
while protecting your LCD display from scratches. ViewGuard Antiglare
Matte Screen Protectors easily attach directly to the surface of your
LCD screen and the antiglare matte finish reduces glare and reflections
caused by natural and artificial lighting.
ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen Protectors feature the
following:
- Antiglare Technology - Reduces glare and reflections caused
by natural sunlight and artificial lighting
- Screen Protection - Protects screens from fingerprints,
smudges and scratches
- Touchscreen Compatible - Compatible with touchscreens
including Ultra-Mobile PCs and Tablet PCs
- Anti-Ultraviolet - Reduces harmful ultraviolet exposure
- Low-Profile Frameless Design - Seamlessly fits onto a
display and stays attached even when the notebook is closed
ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen Protectors are now available in the
HDTV 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio format for the following display
sizes - 10.1", 11.1", 11.6", 13.1", 13.3", 14.0", 15.6", 16.0", 16.4",
18.4", 20.0", 21.5", 23.0", and 24.0" - as well as other aspect
ratios.
Mac Models
- 13" MacBook (White or Black) ViewGuard Antiglare Frameless Privacy
Filter (11.28" x 7.05") - $49.99
- 13" MacBook Air ViewGuard Antiglare Frameless Privacy Filter
(11.28" x 7.05") - $49.99
- 13" Aluminum Unibody MacBook Pro ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen
Protector - $17.99
- 13" MacBook (White or Black) ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen
Protector (11.28" x 7.05") - $15.99
- 13" MacBook Air ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen Protector (11.28"
x 7.05") - $15.99
- 15" Aluminum Unibody MacBook Pro ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen
Protector - $19.99
- 17" Aluminum Unibody MacBook Pro ViewGuard Antiglare Matte Screen
Protector - $21.99
ViewGuard products can be ordered online from BuyViewGuard.com.
Link: ViewGuard Made for
Apple
Bargain 'Books
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
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